(Young) Women We Love: Hilary Duff

When it comes to tween-targeted popstars, in my books Miley trumps Hilary every time, but Ms Duff is quite a thoughtful young woman (she says, sounding like a grandmother) who is still a considerably big influence on a lot of young girls, so I was thrilled to see that she’d joined forces with America’s Advertising Council in collaboration with Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network to film this PSA:

Casually discriminatory language is one of the most insidious ways of perpetuating hatred – whether it’s saying something is “gay” or calling women “bitch” or “slut” – so it’s fantastic to see Duff speaking out on the topic.

Now, can we arrange to have some ads produced featuring men that blokes would look up to (footy players, motorsports heroes, Chuck Norris), pulling them up on catcalling and casually sexist language?

Palin Newsweek Cover “A Clear Slap In The Face … Why? Because It’s Unretouched“

So says Republican Media Consultant Andrea Tantaros, who – along with her colleagues – is up in arms about Newsweek’s latest issue, featuring a close-up photo of Gov. Sarah Palin (pictured at right, click through for full-size).

Speaking on Fox News’ America’s Newsroom, the Republican media team – not to mention the show’s host – cried foul, suggesting that Newsweek have done Palin a gross disservice by failing to airbrush her into a palatable cover girl. As Tantaros says:

“It highlights every imperfection – that every human being has – but we’re talking unwanted facial hair, pores, wrinkles…”

Tantaros then suggests that Newsweek’s Obama covers have made him look “Presidential … flawless”.

(Briefly, to compare and contrast and provide some perspective, here’s a Newsweek John McCain cover, and a Barack Obama one. And, to even things up, here’s their Hillary Clinton effort, and Michelle Obama. You’ll agree there’s not a lot of airbrushing going on anywhere, and why would there be? It’s Newsweek!)

The host then barks:

“I mean, c’mon … Any respectable magazine should be doing a little retouching if you’re going to have the extreme close-up”

Fortunately Julia Piscitelli from American University’s Women & Politics Institute then offers some sage words (saying that Palin is clearly “beautiful” either way), before Tantaros cries out that the cover photo is “mortifying! … [Any] woman who sees this cover would be shocked and horrified“.

Really? Have we become so sucked into the airbrushed world that to see a woman unretouched is “horrifying”? As Piscitelli notes, Palin’s cover is the Newsweek ‘Women & Leadership’ issue, “which means that she’s one of the top women in leadership in the country” – what is more important here?